Sean Avery, International Man of Fashion

As you might have heard, professional hockey player Sean Avery has entered the fashion industry. Commonwealth Utilities, the chic menswear label conceived in a London pub by Anthony Keegan and Richard Christiansen, has hired Avery to be a muse, model, and marketing pitchman. I got hold of Keegan because I wanted to know exactly what a hockey player could bring to the table.

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You've mentioned that you liked Avery because he is hip and cool.

I think men today need to move away from classic stereotypes and take more risks in their wardrobe. It's really refreshing to see a guy like Sean take pride in his appearance. Richard and I strongly believe it's time for men to step up their game and that's why we created the label. We wanted to build a line that dressed the New York creative professional at a price that mirrored their salaries. These days it's really important to build a brand that is exclusive, but not impossible to attain.

So, how will Avery's fashion schedule work with his hockey schedule?

I design the collection myself, along with my amazing team. We feel that Sean will be a sounding board for what a "guy's guy" wants. We love designing new concepts and being directional, however we want to remain relatable. We think that working with Sean will bring a great angle of opinion. Having worked in fashion for over ten years, we know how to make a beautiful collection; however we think having an outside opinion from someone like Sean is very valuable. Luckily, Sean's first pre-season game will take place a few days after the spring/summer `10 presentation. We love having Sean involved, but we fully support his hockey career as well.

Avery will be wearing many hats- model, muse, design collaborator, pitchman. Where do you think his greatest strengths lie?

We feel Sean's greatest strength will be his voice outside the regular "fashion arena." We want to make sure that we are building a company that elevates the men's wardrobe and gets them looking sharp. I always feel it's good to look outside the box for answers. The industry has changed over the past two years, and we think you need to be twice as diligent. Do your homework on all aspects of your business, not just design, to stay ahead of the curve.